EXCEED THE SPACE PROVIDED. The ultimate test our nation's biomedical system is its capacity to draw upon the full breadth of talent of America's diverse population and care for the most vulnerable elements of our society. The dual-edged problems of ethnic disparities in health and the under-representation of minority clinical investigators are among the most glaring failures of our biomedical enterprise. The Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) is uniquely poised to provide leadership in redressing these problems and contribute to the fulfillment of the NIH Roadmap's plan to re-engineer the clinical research enterprise for the 21st century. MSM's President, Dr. David Satcher (the 16th US Surgeon General), is committed to the goal of establishing the MSM as one of the preeminent centers of excellence in research that addresses the burden of health disparities. The proposed CCRE research program will be a critical element of the institution's strategic plan to continue the successful expansion of our translational and patient-oriented research portfolio. The major objective of this program focuses on establishing a research infrastructure that will foster the successful development of a cadre of junior clinical investigators into future leaders of the clinical research enterprise. This CCRE program will build upon MSM's recent trajectory of success in enhancing its research portfolio by pursuing the following specific aims: Aim I. To establish an organizational framework for promoting a collaborative, inter-disciplinary approach to clinical investigation that engages the full breadth of the MSM scientific community and creates a nurturing research environment for the development of MSM's junior faculty. Aim II. To establish an institution-wide mechanism to recruit and mentor a critical mass of talented young faculty who will develop successful translational and clinical research programs at MSM. Aim 111. To recruit a 'magnet investigator' who will provide ongoing leadership of the CCRE program, further enhance MSM's research capacity and expand the critical mass of senior clinician-scientist mentors. Aim IV. To establish a vibrant, collaborative research infrastructure that supports a continual process of innovation in clinical investigation by the ongoing incorporation of new enabling technologies in translational and patient-oriented research.